Wood Funeral Home

Alexander, a devoted mother and homemaker, died on Monday, July 17, 2017. She was 88.She was born on Sept. 16, 1928 to the late George H. Bell and Ruby Bell in Abilene, Texas. She was the third of eight children.She attended Macedonia Baptist Church and was baptized at the age of 12 and educated in the public school system of Abilene, Texas.She married John H. Alexander Aug.1, 1949. They relocated to Philadelphia but she remained a proud Texan in her heart. Five children were born to their union.As a homemaker, Alexander was a loving and very devoted mother to her children. She was highly involved in their education. She served in their elementary school as a room mother, member of the Hospitality Committee, Health and Welfare Board, and the Executive Board. She was also an assistant to the school nurse during immunizations and was a supportive Cub Scout den mother who helped out during picnics and various trips.Besides her devotion to her children, Alexander enjoyed brewing her delicious ice tea, gardening and watching TV shows such as Wild Kingdom. She especially enjoyed line dancing with fellow seniors and performing at various functions.She was preceded in death by her son, Karl.She is survived by: her children, Michael, Ruby, Richard and John; brother, Clarence Bell and his wife, Sarah Bell; sisters-in-law, Evelyn Bell and Geneva Bell; daughters-in-law, Gwendolyn Alexander, Aiko Alexander and Patricia Alexander; grandchildren, Karl Alexander and his, wife Kenya Alexander, Stacey Thomas, Warren Thomas and Carmen Lennon; great-grandchildren, Alexis, Morgan and Justin and other relatives and friends.Services will be held Thursday at Wood Funeral Home, 5537-39 W. Girard Ave. Viewing is at 10 a.m. Services will follow at 11 a.m. Burial is in Fernwood Cemetery.

The man's body was found near an entrance drive to Greenwood Cemetery and First Baptist Church New Orleans (map). NOPD spokesman Juan Barnes said the man had been shot, but said the death was unclassified. He declined to say if foul play was suspected.Officers as of 8:30 a.m. were blocking the entrance drive and people dropping children off at the church for daycare were being diverted. Traffic on Canal Boulevard was not affected by investigation, as of 8:30 a.m.A Greenwood Cemetery employee discovered the man's body about 7 a.m. while making her routine morning rounds of the grounds, said Pat McMahon, 63, an ambassador for Greenwood Funeral Home.McMahon said the employee saw the man's body and honked her horn, thinking he was sleeping. When she realized he wasn't moving, she called authorities. She told McMahon the man was wearing shorts but no shoes."She's a little shook up about it, for sure," McMahon said.--Times-Picayune reporter Carlie Kollath Wells contributed to this story.

Tom Relihan The Enterprise TMRelihan_ENT 
 BRIDGEWATER – Police have identified the Bridgewater woman who was killed Saturday morning after becoming trapped under her vehicle in Saugus as Colleen Dolan.Dolan died when she became trapped under her vehicle at the Sunoco Gas Station on 700 Broadway off Route 1 in Saugus, according to The Enterprise’s media partner WCVB.Police said her vehicle rolled backwards and trapped her underneath it. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Her death has been ruled accidental.An obituary posted online by Vazza Beechwood Funeral Homes said Dolan was a graduate of Bridgewater State University, where she studied sociology and criminal justice and played woman's softball. She was passionate about the outdoors, animals and sports.Dolan formerly worked as a corrections officer for the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department and most recently worked at the Children's Collaborative, a program for at-risk youth through the Home for Little Wanderers.Respects may be paid on Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. (open casket) and 6 to 8 p.m. (closed casket) at Vazza Beechwood, 262 Beech Street, Revere, and again at 8 a.m. Friday before a procession to St. Mary of Assumption Church for a funeral mass at 9 a.m.Donations can be made in her memory in lieu of flowers, at the family's request, to the MSPCA-Angell.